


Star Trek: Adventures of the Enterprise

by KotOR_Luvr



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 23:44:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6728143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KotOR_Luvr/pseuds/KotOR_Luvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Commander Karmen Leison (aka Karma-Lee) is smart, resourceful, and always willing to lend a helping hand. We follow her through the many adventures of the USS Enterprise as she explores new worlds and tries to understand the ways of the human species. All the while, she attempts to battle as well as understand her newfound, foreign feelings for a certain Russian Navigator.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fixing a Problem

**Author's Note:**

> This is a series of one-shots based off of fan art that I have been posting on DeviantART. I have also been posting this on FFN, and like HotG, I have decided to also post this here on AO3. In any case, Karmen is an Oc and her species is also one I have made up. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karmen is a new crew member to the USS Enterprise, and working in the Engine Room is all she could ever ask for. However, she begins to reconsider her enthusiasm when a certain Russian Navigator 'accidentally' drops a tool in an almost unreachable area.

A week. A single week is how long she had been on the USS Enterprise, working in engineering under the command of Montgomery Scott. 'Scotty', as his companions called him.

For Karmen Leison, a week wasn't long enough to actually know what was the norm and what wasn't. But she knew that THIS wasn't normal under any sort of circumstance!

She was called over by Scotty. "Karma, would ye come here please?" 'Karma' or 'Karma-Lee' was what she was called now by most people who knew her. It seemed that everyone had a 'nickname', as the humans called it.

**I'll have to look this up when I'm off duty.** She had thought. She got up from her chair and walked over to her commanding officer. She chuckled as she thought of her 'chair'. It was more of a stool really, because her wings would be compressed by an actual chair. The captain, James T. Kirk, had seen that the compression of her wings was uncomfortable for her, as it would be for any Feluma, and had it modified specially for her. **Always thinking of his crew; that's a true captain.**

"Yes, Montgomery?" She addressed him formally, not yet accustomed to the human 'nicknames'. She heard him chuckle. "Call me 'Scotty', lass." She nodded her head. "You called me over?"

"Ah, yes as a matter of fact, I did. Now, could ye do me a wee favour?" He asked her. Karmen hesitated slightly. "It... Depends, on what that 'favour' would be, sir." She had learned the hard way to always be careful when doing these 'favours' for the humans. The last favour she did for Scotty had wound up with her covered in oil from 'head-to-toe', as the humans called it; and that also included her wings! It took her hours to get the oil out of them!

Scotty laughed this time. "Ah, no need ta worry lass, it's not too bad. Now, I believe ye heard of the new weaponry and tools that were shipped in before leaving headquarters, correct?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, I did. I was to check them for any defaults. Why?"

He pointed to two men, whom Karmen did not see standing there beforehand. One had dark brown hair, equally brown eyes, just barely pale skin and a very youthful appearance. The other man she recognized as Dr. Leonard McCoy, also known as 'Bones'. "I believe that Chekov and Bones can explain this."

**Pavel Chekov! Ah, yes: the young Russian navigator I met when first seeing the Enterprise. He looks fairly young...**

Chekov spoke first. "Scotty said he needed help vith ze containers because eweryone else vas busy, so he asked me and Bones."

Then Bones spoke. "It just so happened that the one Mr. Chekov was carrying had been... over-packed, and one of the tools fell out. Now, how it got over _there_ is beyond me!" He pointed towards the coolant vats. Karmen looked to where he was pointing, and could just see that the tool had landed on one of the vats. It was below a walking platform, so it was almost explainable to how it had landed there.

She looked back to Scotty. "You're asking me to get it for you?"

"Aye. We cannae reach it ourselves, so we thought ye could. Ye know, with yer wings."

She almost wanted to throw up. **My wings? But... I can't fly! They don't know that, either...** She breathed in deeply. "Uh, I do hate to say this sir, but... I can't really fly."

All three men looked confused. "How can you _not_ fly?" McCoy asked.

She shrunk back slightly and shrugged. "I-I never learned how to! Most Feluma learn how to fly when they're about a hundred years old, but I never did."

She quickly added. "But I can glide and hover! I can still get it for you!" She smiled sheepishly.

Scotty smiled. "Alright, Karma." He gestured in front of him, a 'ladies first' gesture, the humans called it.

She moved ahead, the footsteps behind her suggesting that they were following. **Better start on the lower platform, first. Then work my way up; I don't want to risk falling and spraining my wings.**

She got to the lower platform, placing her hands on the railing. She stretched out her legs and then her arms. She then stretched out her wings. Her wings, she thought, weren't all that special; the regular colours of the Cold Region Feluma; green, blue and purple, but they were large in size! All of her hours of gliding and hovering had strengthened her wings, and after nearly seventy years, they were now large and stronger than over ten men. She took great pride in their strength and size.

**Alright let's do this!** Karmen looked around, and saw a thick metal bar a few metres ahead. **A good place to start...** She readied herself, spreading her legs and arching her wings. She took a breath.

Her wings pounded and she surged forward. In barely a second she had reached the bar, grabbing it and swinging herself into a sitting position. She looked up. **Still a little ways to go...**

Just ahead of her, a chain was swaying gently, probably from the gust her wings made, and just beyond the chain, a coolant vat, higher up. She spread her wings again arching them, and she leaped forward. Her wings slowed her down slightly because they were arched, but they still helped her reach the chain. She reached out, closing her wings. When she grabbed the chain, the forward motion made her swing. She kicked her legs forward and let go of the chain, landing gracefully on the vat.

"That is dangerous!" Bones stated. "It's more dangerous than being _without_ any wings! She could get caught or twisted in something!"

Scotty chuckled. "Ah, she knows what she's doing, lad." His words contradicted his mind. Bones was correct, she could hurt herself if she wasn't careful.

Karmen started reaching the upper level. The three men moved to the upper platforms.

By the time they got there, she was already in the location of where the tool was. She had her legs wrapped around an over-hanging bar and was using one arm to hold onto a coolant vat and the other to grab the tool. It was almost touching her fingers, but she still couldn't reach it.

Bones rubbed his palm over his face, obviously stressed with what was happening. "If she falls, it'll be her own fault." He muttered under his breath.

Karmen called over, "You're right; it will be my own fault, so don't worry."

"Damn Feluma hearing..." Bones said. Scotty smirked inwardly, usually Bones would be saying that about _Vulcans_ and not Feluma. Scotty looked over to Chekov, who was leaning against the railing and watching Karmen closely, a small smile on his lips. Scotty leaned over and whispered, "Some part of me thinks that ye dropped it on purpose, laddie."

Chekov appeared startled. "Vhat do you mean? I deed not!"

"If ye say so."

Scotty turned his attention back to Karmen, who was still having difficulties with grabbing the tool. Her legs were more loose than when she had started and her arm was now fully stretched out. _The young lad has taken a liking to our new crew member_ _._ He chuckled to himself. _Ah, kids these days..._

" _FINALLY_!" Karmen shouted. The tool was now in her hand. "Good job, lass. Can ye get down, now?" Scotty asked her.

He didn't even need to ask as she had already started climbing down, jumping and gliding from bar to bar. Scotty, followed by Chekov and Bones, started to head back down to the ground area.

"Thank ye, Karmen!" Scotty said to her as they reached the ground floor. She nodded sharply, obviously exhausted from the climbing. She then handed him the tool, which appeared to be a new prototype laser; a valuable tool indeed!

"You deed wery vell, Karmen!" Chekov praised her, a smile across his lips. Karmen smiled back. "Thanks."

"You could have hurt yourself; what if you fell?" Bones chided her.

She simply shrugged her shoulders. "With all due respect, sir, it is almost impossible for a Feluma to lose their balance. An example was when I was hangning on that bar; that is a natural sleeping position for most Feluma, so we must learn to keep our balance."

Bones looked nearly confused at her statement. "You sleep _upside-down_?! How? With that much blood rushing to your head, you could rupture your brain or die from the lack of oxygen! Unless you're built like a bat, that should be physically impossible."

She shook her head. "Nope. Unlike you humans, Feluma have two hearts; one heart is meant for spreading blood to the whole body, and the other to the brain. Both hearts are connected to each other. When we hang upside-down, the second heart slows all blood flow to the brain and passes ninety percent of it to our first heart so our heads don't get 'ruptured' as you say, and so our limbs don't lose too much blood and make us fall. With that happening, we can hang upside-down for days, if we wanted to."

She paused, and asked, "How do you not know this? After all, you are a doctor, and should know this information."

"You're species is new to Starfleet," Bones explained. "so we don't know much about you. Besides, any information that we _do_ have has not been loaded into the data bases yet; something about the 'planetary leaders' not certifying the information given to Starfleet..."

Karmen nodded. "Sounds like them. The leaders of Feluma are not... trusting, towards humans. They fear those who are not of Feluma, so that is why they are hesitant to hand over information that can be so freely explored and researched."

Bones shook his head. "Well, they better get over their trust-issues soon, because if you wind up hurt or dying from a heart-attack, I'm not going to be able to help you unless I have information on the Feluma anatomy!" He started to walk away from them. "I'm heading back to the medical bay."

She stared at his retreating form for a few brief seconds before asking, "Apologies if I sound rude, but is he _always_ this... grumpy?"

Chekov and Scotty just laughed.


	2. Transporter Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karmen has her first experience with the Transporter, and she is very anxious thanks to Leonard's unnecessary joking. In short, she's scared to lose a certain part of her that she values, and she nearly wants to refuse going on the transporter.

"Hey, watch where you rub!"

"Well, if you want them to be fixed, you'll have to sit still and stop complaining!"

Karmen crossed her arms, sulking like a scolded child. "Fine..." She muttered.

The med-bay was pretty well empty, and for that Karmen was grateful; she didn't want anyone else seeing her little _predicament_ that she had gotten into. All she had done was try to re-route the power to the main computer in Engineering by replacing the wires, and the next thing she knew she was running around trying to put out the flames on her wings.

She was very glad that she had not lost her wings; they mean everything to a Feluma! They represent their people and their honour, and if she were to lose them, her honour as a Feluma would be practically ripped from her.

Despite the feeling of relief, she could not help but also feel embarrassment, as they were now horribly singed at the tips, there were a few small bald spots, and she smelled of 'chicken' as Bones had bluntly put it. He was now putting an ointment onto the bald parts of her wings to help with the healing process. Unfortunately, Feluma wings were very sensitive to being touched.

She twitched again as his hands touched another bald spot. "Stop moving, please. It's very hard to get the right areas when you're moving."

"I'm _trying_ not to, Dr. McCoy. It's just... nevermind..." She trailed off.

She continued to sit on the medical table, twitching or shifting every so often as he applied the ointment. After several moments, he was done applying the ointment. "Well, you must've had one hell of a fire; you used up the whole container!" He exclaimed.

She lifted herself off the table and straightened out her uniform. "Sorry." She apologized quietly.

Bones started to clean up his tools, putting them in several cabinets and shelves. "I heard you're going with us onto Andoria, tomorrow." He said.

Karmen shrugged. "Mhmm, the Captain said that he needed Mr. Scott on the ship 'in case something went wrong', but he needed another technician along."

Bones raised an eyebrow. "Did he say why?"

"Yeah, he told me that if negotiations went awry, he would need me to disable the missiles-"

" _Missiles_?! Jim never told me anything about missiles!" He exclaimed. "What kind of a negotiation is this?!"

Karmen flinched as if being slapped. "Well, the Klingons have threatened to destroy the planet if they don't get what they want; but they haven't said what, and that's why we're going down there. After all, the Andorians are the ones who-"

He shook his head. "I know, Karmen, I was told about _that_ part already..." He muttered.

"I don't understand how we'll get down there so quickly, though; if we go down by shuttle, it'll take hours to get there." She pondered.

"Wait, you think we're going down to the planet by _shuttle_?"

"Well, yes... is there another way?"

Bones laughed at her question. "Ever heard of the transporter?" Karmen nodded, "Yes, Dr. McCoy, I have. I am in engineering, in case you have forgotten."

"Yes, I know you're in engineering." He chided. "It's just that, well, haven't you used the transporter, before? Isn't that how you arrived on the _Enterprise_?"

"No," She shook her head. "I did not. I had arrived by shuttle, I did not use the transporter. I do, however, have a great interest in the machine." Bones only chuckled. "Well, it'll be a whole new experience for you, then! I, however, have had _enough_ experience with transporters, and I don't like them..."

She cocked her head. "Then why are you coming along? And why do you not like them?"

"I am a doctor; you'll need one with a violent situation like this. As for your second question, I don't like them because I don't like my particles floating around in the air." He then jokingly added, "I always think that not all of them will make it."

Karmen's eyes widened slightly. "Oh."

Nothing more was to be said, so she left the medical bay more confused than anything. **'Not all of them will make it'? Has that happened before, where a human has lost a part of their body because their particles didn't make it?** She shuddered slightly at the thought of losing a body part, more importantly her wings.

She couldn't think of something like that, now. **You need to rest so you're ready for tomorrow.** She chided herself as she entered her room. **You shouldn't worry about such a petty statement. It won't happen to you... Right?**

She started to change out of her uniform, unzipping the back and shrugging it off her feathered shoulders. She had seen the female uniforms, and had asked Starfleet if she could have a change in uniform, preferably pants and a sleeveless top with a partially bare back to accommodate to her wings. They had told her that the top part of her uniform would be slightly inappropriate according to Starfleet regulations, but they understood her predicament and made her a top that would be easy to wear, despite her wings. She was very grateful for their understanding.

She was finally out of her uniform. She looked around for her sleep-wear, but then decided against it. She would be waking within a few hours, it would be pointless to change into a different set of clothing only to get out of them and then into another. **I'll take off my** brandoshïn, **but I should probably leave on my lower-wear...**

Karmen pulled back the sheets of her bed, flopping herself onto it and tugging the sheets over her body. Her wings were spread out wide, hanging over the bed. The captain had not known that Feluma often sleep upside-down, so he had not provided any sort of bar or pole for her to hang from. He had said that once they got to the next nearest base, they would find suitable materials for her 'sleeping place', as he called it.

So, she had learned to sleep on her belly and allow her wings to spread out so she wouldn't crush them. It is _very_ uncomfortable for Feluma if they lay on their wings, and if too much pressure is applied to them, they could get damaged.

She turned her head on the pillow. No matter what, everything seemed to trail back to her wings! **I** really **don't want to lose my wings...** She thought worriedly.

Despite the thoughts running through her head, she was finally able to get some sleep.

/

"Karmin, are you avake?"

She stirred, muttering tiredly, "Just a few more minutes..."

"Karmin, ze keptin said zat eet ees almost time to leave..." The voice said.

**Captain... Time to leave... But where?...** She finally came to her senses. **THE NEGOTIATION!** She leapt up from her bed. " _Daushvet_! _Yero stelputarin_ , _yeron bes leour_!" She cursed in the Feluma language. She whipped around and noticed a young man standing beside her bed, a hand placed over his eyes and his head turned slightly away.

"Chekov, is there something wrong?" She asks him.

She could see a faint blush form on his cheeks. "You are... Not fully clothed..."

She was confused at first, but upon looking at herself she realized he was correct. She had forgotten that she didn't put on her sleep-wear the previous night. She gasped and grabbed at the bed sheet, covering herself. "I-I am so sorry!" She stuttered.

He raised his hand. "No, eet's fine, _I_ should be saying 'sorry'; I deed not know you vere..." Chekov trailed off.

She grabbed her brandoshïn off the floor. "Why are you even _in here_ , Chekov? And why didn't you ring for me, or at the very least _knocked_?!" She demanded.

"Ze keptin had asked me to check if you vere avake! He told me to tell you zat it vas almost time to leave!" He answered. " And I deed ring, seweral times, een fact! You newer responded, so I came een!"

"Well, thank-you for waking me up." Even though she knew he wouldn't see, she raised her free arm and pointed at the door. "No need to stay, now _out_!"

He nodded. "Good idea." He turned, his hand still over his eyes. He attempted to navigate through her room, his free hand out in front of him. She opened her mouth to speak, but was already to late as Chekov tripped over the small table.

She almost smiled when she saw that his hand was still over his eyes. "Wery sorry!" He apologized.

He slowy walked towards the door, placing one foot cautiously in front of the other so he wouldn't trip again. Karmen found this almost comical. **He's rather cute...**

He finally reached the door, and it opened with a _swoosh_. "Wery sorry..." He apologized once more before leaving.

She paused and stared at the door for several moments. Despite the embarrassment, she couldn't help but feel touched at his chivalry and restraint. **Such a gentleman...** She smiled to herself as she gathered her uniform.

/

Finally, after asking for directions nearly five times she had finally found the transporter room. While walking there, she continuously thought back to what Bones had said the previous day; " _I always think that not all of them will make it._ "

She desperately didn't want to lose her wings, the mere thought of it made her want to cry!

She paused outside the transporter room, wrapping her wings around herself. **Calm down! This is your first time on a planetary mission, you shouldn't make yourself look like you can't handle it!** Taking a deep breath, she unwrapped herself from her wings and strode through the door.

She was the last one to arrive, she saw. Spock, Bones, Kirk and Chekov were already there. Now she just felt stupid.

"Miss Leison," Kirk greeted her, "glad to see you could make it!" He smiled warmly at her. She nodded sharply.

"Wouldn't miss it, sir." She smiled back.

He nodded. "That's good. Now, I take it you have never used the transporter?"

"No sir."

He chuckled. "Well, this shall be a whole new experience for you, then."

**As the doctor has already said...** She thought sarcastically.

As he was stepping onto the transporter, Karmen's eyes had locked with Chekov's, who was standing beside Kirk. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and a frown was visible on his face. ' _Wery sorry..._ ' She could practically hear him say.

She shrugged. ' _Meh_ , _that was then_...'

Spock had caught the look between them. **_Odd, perhaps something had happened prior to coming here..._**

She allowed the men to step onto the transporter before she followed. She paused. They were all standing on top of circular pads, pads that looked rather small...

' _...not all of them will make it..._ '

Karmen stepped onto one of the pads. She then tried to make herself as straight as possible; tightening her posture with her hands at her sides and her legs pressed closer together. She was forgetting something...

**My wings!** She tried pressing her wings against her back, but realized that she couldn't as it was dangerous for a Feluma to press their wings directly against their backs. She had to do something!

"Ready te transport, ser." Scotty informed the Captain.

**Do something!** She then thought back to before she entered the transporter room. **Aha!**

She quickly wrapped her wings around her and for extra measure, she grabbed at her wings and pulled tightly.

She waited for several moments before she realized that she was being watched. She looked around, and saw that five pairs of eyes were on her.

Chekov, Scotty and Bones were looking at her with blank stares. Spock had one eyebrow raised, as if silently judging her. Kirk looked severely confused as to what she was doing.

Kirk broke the silence. "Is there something wrong, Miss Leison?" He asked her, almost amusingly.

She looked at him and shook her head. "Not at all, sir." **Why did you lie to the Captain?!** Itarin **!**

She was surprised when he turned back around. "Very well." She was relieved; it would've been embarrassing if he knew she was scared over such a seemingly petty matter...

He nodded to Scotty. "Energize."

Karmen closed her eyes, praying to the gods that she'd make it alive. **I'll never go on another drinking binge again if you let me live through this moment!**

Her eyes remained closed for what seemed like several minutes before she felt someone tap her shoulder. "Karma, you can come out of your little shell, now. We're on Andoria." Bones told her

**Dr. McCoy, if you're lying...** She cautiously opened one eye and then the other. They were on solid ground, no longer on the _Enterprise_.

**My wings...** She looked down to her hands. They were still holding onto her wings, but were they holding on to _all_ of them?

She let go of them and spread out her wings, turning her head to look at them. They were all still there. Her wings drooped in relief. "Oh, thank the gods..." She breathed.

She heard Bones chuckle. "Karma, you know how I said that I don't always think my particles would make it?" She nodded. "Yeah?"

"I was only joking."

She paused at his statement. ' **Only joking'? What does he mean... Oh, that little...!** She glared menacingly at the doctor. "I am _not_ amused, Leonard..."

"Well, some jokes aren't meant to be laughed at." Bones smirked at her.

Karmen shook her head in disbelief. **Humans are the most** strangest **creatures, ever!**


	3. Shore Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Kirk decides that Karmen needs to go on shore leave, as all she ever seems to do is work. With a lot of convincing, Karmen agrees to go on shore leave. And what better way to spend your first 'vacation' than with your best friends (aka, Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov). With cursed birds, demon fish, squishy foods and odd sleeping habits, there is never a dull moment with this trio of friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had delayed in writing this chapter for a while because Anton Yelchin had recently died due to his car crushing him. Not only was I sad, but I felt it would be disrespectful to post a chapter when Pavel Chekov is one of the main characters. Don't ask me why, seeing that it is TOS Chekov that is being written about, but I felt as if it would be almost insensitive to post it. May God rest his sould and may he be resting in peace. God bless.

Karmen continued to pluck at the various strings, testing and experimenting with different tunes and notes. Whilst she played, she would hum a small melody she had learned when she was a young girl. Whilst living on Earth and training in Starfleet, Karmen had gained a fondness for music, something that was not all to common on her world. Sure, there were celebrations and festivals, even the occasional social gathering, but rarely did it involve music. She had an interest in the guitar, something that also wasn't common on her world. She enjoyed listening to the various notes a guitar could play.

However, there was a lack of musical instruments on the Enterprise, something that shouldn't have surprised her. From the range of people she knew so far, almost none of them were music enthusiasts. All, save for one particular crew member.

Spock also had a fascination, as he said, for music and he had an instrument called a Vulcan Lute. It was almost an equivalent to a human guitar, however, the Lute he owned had a total of twelve strings, something that she had a hard time comprehending and learning to master. However, with some help from Spock, who even said that she was a quick learner, she was able to play the Vulcan Lute as if she had been playing it since childhood.

Karmen heard a knock at her door, immediately snapping her mind back into reality. She quickly addressed whomever was behind her door. "Come in."

The door slid open to reveal Captain James Kirk. Karmen placed down the Lute and stood, squaring her shoulders. "Captain." She nodded sharply, to which Jim chuckled. "At ease, Karma, you're not on duty."

She relaxed her posture, if only slightly. Although she had been apart of the crew for almost eight months and the Captain had started to consider her as a friend, she still felt that it was improper not to address the Captain as if he were in a position of authority. She thanked her home planet for that instinct. "Is there something you need of me, sir?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." He said. "Karma, have you ever taken a break lately?"

"'A break', sir?"

"Yes."

Karmen cocked her head slightly. "Ah, well I have had about two days off of working in Engineering."

Jim suppressed a sigh. There were some moments where she could be rather naive. "That is because you had an injury, Miss Leison; that's purely medical."

Karmen briefly remembered the incident that had happened about two days earlier; she had been calmly working in Engineering. Scotty was teaching her various technical skills that could be vital in cases of emergencies. They had been on one of the higher floors of Engineering when the ship suddenly shook and lurched.

The first time it had happened, they were both able to stay balanced, but the second time they both had lost their balance. She had grabbed Scotty's hand for support, thinking that he would be able to hold her up. However, Scotty wasn't expecting the sudden weight of her and he fell down with her. Karmen's wings had been spread out for balance from the previous quake, so when they fell down her wings had been bent from the joint where feathers met flesh. One was fine, but the other had been sprained and she wasn't able to move it without it hurting. She needed her wings, both of them, for balance and so Bones had given her two days medical leave.

"But I still consider it a break, sir." She cleared her throat quietly, understanding that the Captain seemed to be losing some element of patience with her.

"So as I understand it, then," he sat down across from Karmen, "in the amount of time you have been apart of the Enterprise crew, you haven't had a single Shore Leave?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. I see no reason for going on Shore Leave; it wastes valuable time that I could be using to work."

Jim chuckled. "There are times when I think you sound a lot like Spock."

There was a long pause between them before Karmen cleared her throat. "Well, sir-"

"Karma, you can call me Jim or Kirk when we're off duty."

She cleared her throat again. "Well, Jim... If you don't mind, I'm rather busy."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can see that." He said in an almost sarcastic tone. Karmen realized how stupid she must have sounded, then.

Jim began to take his leave then paused. "The next shore leave is actually tomorrow, Karma."

"Sir, as I said before, I have no desire to go on Shore Leave."

Jim was never one for using his role as Captain for ill reasons, but he knew that sooner or later Karmen would have to have a break. And a break after having an injury was a good reason as any. "Karmen, as a friend I suggest going on Shore Leave as a way to relax, but as your Captain I order you to go on the next Shore Leave as a means of recovery."

Karmen's lips set into a fine line, at odds with herself. He had just said they were off duty but he had given her an order, nonetheless. She was a bull-headed Feluma but this was one of the very few times where she allowed someone else to win. With a sigh, she nodded. "Aye, Captain."

Jim smiled. "Good. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Lieutenant."

The moment the door closed behind him she flopped down onto her chair. Every moment she thought that she had humans figured out, they always managed to throw another curve ball at her!

/ / /

"Karma, so glad you could join us!"

Karmen grinned unenthusiastically at her Captain and placed down her bag. She had done some research and she gathered what she believed to be the essentials for an outdoor Shore Leave. She had hoped that she dressed appropriately as well, seeing as outdoor weather could be rather unpredictable; black yoga pants and a blue tank top that was specially designed for her. "Of course, sir. Couldn't miss it."

Jim chuckled. "Well, seeing as this is your first Shore Leave and that you're such close friends, I decided you should be going with Sulu and Chekov this time."

Sulu nodded and Chekov waved from the transporter. Karmen waved back at them, stepping onto the platform. "Hey." She said nervously. "I still don't think this is necessary under any circumstance..."

"Trust me, you'll enjoy it!" Sulu said, smiling.

"I hope so."

Karmen, out of a force of habit, grabbed her wings and wrapped them around herself. "I know it was a joke, but I'm still paranoid." She stated. She heard a small snicker behind her before hearing Sulu say, "Energize." Karmen quickly closed her eyes.

/ / /

"Karmeen, it eez alright, now."

Karmen opened her eyes slowly then stretched her wings out, sighing with relief. Picking up her bag she looked around the luscious setting of the planet; a gorgeous, shimmering lake, a forest with lush green trees, plenty of small flora and fauna to observe and enjoy. "It's so beautiful, here!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, Karma," Sulu agreed. "That it is."

"Vere do you think ve should camp?" Chekov asked them.

Sulu pointed to the forest along the lake. "Somewhere in there; we can do our hike and go fishing there if we find a decent spot."

"' _Fishing_ '?" Karmen repeated, unsure as to what that was.

"We'll show you once we get there, Karma."

They started to move and Karmen shrugged off his statement, following close behind him. As they walked in the forest Sulu began to point out various flora and fauna to Karmen, whom had never seen or even heard of the majority of what the things he was pointing out. After spotting a butterfly Karmen asked about them and Sulu had gone into a full lecture about how butterflies evolved from caterpillars; 'metamorphosis'. Pretty soon he was giving a full lecture about many other animal species that often underwent the same form of metamorphosis or 'evolution'.

Chekov slowed down so he was walking directly beside Karmen. "So, Karmeen, are you enjoying ze shore leave so far?"

Karmen smiled. "Yes, this planet is absolutely stunning! As much as I hate admitting it, I do believe the Captain was right in sending me on shore leave; I feel very relaxed."

"Zat ees good."

They walked in silence for a few brief moments. When Chekov opened his mouth to say something Sulu said, "Here seems like a good spot to camp." They both looked to see an opening in the forest along the lake. "I can't argue with that, Hikaru." Karmen said.

" _Da_ , eet is perfect."

Karmen took the initiative and walked into the opening, setting down her bag and opening it. "Well, I'll start unpacking so we can go 'fishing', as you say. I'm rather eager to see what sort of activity it is."

"You will like eet, Karmeen!"

Karmen smiled again. In the amount of time that she had come to know Pavel, she had truly begun to enjoy his company. He always managed to bring a smile to her face, even if she was ever frustrated or upset about something. He also was always the first one to help her with whatever problems she had. He was such a gentleman, as well.

And, for whatever reason, he seemed to be a popular topic for her to think about as of late. **Perhaps it's just the friendship we share.** She thought.

She froze, suddenly, as she heard a squawk just above her. Lookig up, her gaze fell upon a dark creature; completely black in color, its eyes just as black, this creature was a fair size. Completely covered in feather and adorned with wings, Karmen finally realized what the creature was.

She gasped and fell backward, fear gripping her heart. **Why has this demon approached me!?** She thought.

Chekov had heard her gasp and thought something had possibly bitten or startled her. "Karmeen?" He turned sharply and saw her sitting still on the ground, her eyes not tearing away from a Crow. "Karmeen, are you alright?" He stood from his pack and walked over to her, startling the crow in the process and causing it to fly over them. Karmen released a small breath (which came out almost as a squeak) and flopped onto her back, looking up to the sky. Chekov could hear her muttering words of some kind. "Ees something wrong?" He asked again, kneeling down beside her.

"How could you approach such a creature?" She breathed out.

"Vat? A crow?" He asked, obviously confused.

She sat up and ruffled her feathers on her shoulders and wings, an odd habit that she had developed whenever she experienced something terrifying. "Is that what you call the demons?"

"What is going on, what 'demons'?" Sulu asked, approaching the two with bamboo fishing rods in hand.

"She vas startled by a crow, Sulu."

"No, a _demon_." Karmen said.

Sulu raised an eyebrow at his winged friend. "Perhaps you can tell us about this _demon_ as we fish."

Karmen and Chekov nodded. Chekov offered his hand and she took it, gladly, and stood. Brushing herself off she took one of the bamboo fishing rods from Sulu and inspected it. "Such an odd tool." She muttered.

Karmen followed Sulu and Chekov to the edge of the lake where they all sat down. "You see, Karma," Sulu begun exlpaining, "fishing is a form of hunting; you can, however, choose to keep and eat the fish or to let it go back into the water."

"But why let the fish go? Isn't it a waste of time to catch it only to let it go?"

Chekov chuckled. "Sometimes feeshing can just be a vay to relax; you don't need to alvays be hunting for zem."

Karmen nodded in understanding. "We never had fishing on my planet. Where I lived, it was far too cold for any water life to live there."

Sulu gave Karmen and Chekov a worm. Karmen was confused briefly before realizing (after observing Chekov and what he did with his worm) that it was bait for the fish. She followed Chekov and knotted the worm onto the hook, wiping the grime off of her hands. "So, what do we do with the rod?" She asked.

"Just watch." Sulu said. "Because these are bamboo rods you can't make the bait go too far." He reared the rod and gently swung it forward, the hook and bait going under the water. The bobber keeping it from going too deep. Karmen, cautious not to hit anyone with the hook, copied Sulu's actions. She smiled as the line went out and the bait into the water.

"Vell done, Karmeen!" Chekov praised, setting his own line out into the water.

Karmen crossed her legs and breathed in deeply. "It's so warm, here." She said, soaking in the rays of the sun.

" _Da_."

"Indeed."

Several moments of silence passed by as they all sat, waiting for a fish to take their bait. Karmen cleared her throat. "I, ah, guess I owe you two an explanation from earlier, with the... _Crow_."

She looked to her two friends and sighed. "Back on my homeworld, there are some birds that are considered as cursed. They once were normal Feluma, like me. They followed the laws, honored the gods, did all of the things that were righteous and true."

Sulu and Chekov listened with interest and Chekov placed his rod into the ground, his full attention on her and her story. "However, Feluma had started to rebel against the gods, not following the laws, doing unspeakable things. The gods, outraged, had taken these Feluma and placed a curse upon them, turning them into small black demons, completely covered in dark black feathers. The gods had cursed them so they could never communicate with their own people, replacing their voices with sharp, unintelligible calls. It is said that their black eyes contain the curse within their souls and if you dare to turn your back, to look away, then the curse can fall upon you."

Her story finished, Chekov and Sulu looked briefly at one another before looking back at her. "It is a legend, nearly a myth, but many Feluma dare not to laugh or mock the stories. I know that I am not on my homeworld, but I still cannot help but fear these creatures."

Chekov leaned over and patted Karmen on her shoulder. "Vell, there ees no need to be afraid of crows, Karmeen. Zey are completely harmless."

She nodded her thanks. "Yeah."

Karmen suddenly felt a tug on her rod and she looked to see the line being tugged on. Instinctively, she began to pull back on it. "That's it, Karma; just keep pulling until you get it onto shore!"

Karmen nodded and continued to pull. **This fish refuses to be captured!** She thought. Readjusting her grip she stood from her seated position and pulled with all of her strength, pulling the fish straight out of the water.

Karmen had been expecting many things when she went out on shore leave, but getting slapped in the face was not one of those things. She had tugged so hard that the fish came flying out of the water and straight into her face. Out of shock she dropped the rod and wiped her face, looking down at the flopping fish. Cautiously, she knelt down and poked at the slimy creature. "You caught one!" Sulu exclaimed, having trouble with catching a fish of his own. "That's great!"

"Mhmm." She muttered, not tearing her eyes from the fish. Her body betrayed no emotion, but mentally, she was freaking out.

**Oh my gosh, what on earth is it doing? What do** I **do with it? Should I squish it?** She picked it up by its tail and inspected it closely. She noticed two flaps on its sides that opened and closed. When she forced the flaps to stay closed the fish would try and shake her off, making her realize that that was how they breathed. "Um, are we keeping these or letting them go?" She asked, turning her gaze to her friends.

"Ve are keeping zem, Karmeen."

She shrugged. "Alright, then."

/ / /

The remainder of the afternoon was filled with fishing, not that Karmen truly minded. Chekov had, at one point, nearly lost his fishing rod after he didn't pay attention to it. He had just caught sight of the rod pulling out of the ground and he lunged after it, face planting directly into the edge of the water which plastered his face with algae and mud. Despite themselves, Karmen and Sulu couldn't help but laugh and Chekov had joined in (after getting his fish onto shore).

Now the three friends were sitting around a campfire, just finishing their meal of cooked fish.

"That was delicious! Who knew that fish could make for such a good dinner?" Karmen stated, licking her fingers.

"Well, now you know!"

Karmen nodded and licked her lips. "So, I brought along a small treat for us."

Both Karmen and Sulu watched as Chekov began to open a fairly large plastic bag. Sulu, knowing what it was, smiled whereas Karmen had no clue as to what the contents of the bag were. "Ze only vay to complete a campfire!" He said, taking out small white things.

He handed the bag to Sulu, whom also took a few out, then he handed the bag to Karmen. She took one of the things out from the bag and then set the bag down. She held the small white thing in her hand, using a finger to squish it. She smelled it, her mouth watering at the sweet and sugary scent. "What a strange food..."

Chekov had already placed on of those white squishy things on a stick and he proceeded to cook it over the fire. "Eet ees called a marshmallow, Karmeen!" He explained, an amused smile crossing his face.

"'Marshmallow'..." She repeated, squishing it once again. Sulu couldn't help but laugh as he handed her a stick. "Here, use this."

She took the stick and impaled it into the marshmallow, copying Chekov and placing it above the flames of the fire. "Okay, what do I do with it now?"

"Just cook it. You can burn it or just cook it until it's a golden color all around." Sulu said, beginning to cook his own marshmallow.

Karmen watched the marshmallow, occasionally turning the stick so it would be evenly cooked. She pulled it out from the fire and inspected it. Seeing that it was almost completely golden in color she pulled it off of the stick and put it into her mouth.

She moaned slightly at the sweet, sticky taste of the marshmallow, catching the attention of her two friends. "By the gods, this is delicious!" She exclaimed. She savored the flavor of the marshmallow as it melted in her mouth, the sugary taste forever imprinted in her mind.

Sulu shrugged it off and chuckled, Chekov had a harder time tearing his eyes off of Karmen. She was _really_ enjoying that marshmallow...

"Chekov, your marshmallow." Sulu warned him.

"Oh, shoot!" He rapidly pulled his marshmallow from the fire, blowing on it to extinguish it.

Karmen laughed. "Seems that food isn't favoring you today, Pavel."

He pulled his marshmallow from his stick and sighed. "I think you may be right, Karmeen." He agreed, putting the marshmallow in his mouth.

They had eaten a few more marshmallows before they started to turn in for the evening. It took Chekov a few moments to realize that they had only one tent set up. "Karmeen, don't you have a tent to sleep een?"

She climbed up a nearby tree and out onto a branch, where she hung upside down. "This is where I sleep, Pavel. We Feluma do not require a bed or tent."

Chekov shrugged slightly. "Alright, Karmeen. If zere is anything you need-"

"I'll let you know, Pavel."

He nodded and entered the tent, closing the flap behind him.

Karmen sighed contentedly, wrapping her wings around her like a bat. She closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

/ / /

Sulu had woken up early, that morning. He sat up and yawned, stretching out his stiff limbs. He took a moment to fully wake up before he checked on Karmen, seeing as she had slept outside. The instant he opened the entrance of the tent he closed it and nudged Chekov with his foot. "Chekov, wake up!"

He snorted and yawned. "Vat, vat ees eet, Sulu?"

"It's Karmen; she doesn't look the greatest."

This made Chekov sit up and crawl over to the entrance of the tent, nearly toppling over due to sleepiness. They both opened the flaps of the tent to see Karmen in the spot she was the previous evening. She didn't appear to be doing well, however. Her hair was completely disheveled and sleep tousled, her arms hanging limply along with her wings, which were so large that the touched the ground of the forest. Her mouth was open and her eyes remained closed.

"Ees she dead, Sulu?!"

"I don' know."

She suddenly twitched, nearly startling the two men. "But something tells me she isn't."

She twitched again, this time more violently. She muttered something unintelligible and moved in her sleep. Unfortunately that movement caused her to slip off of her branch and onto the forest floor. She landed on her stomach with a grunt, turning over slowly onto her back. "Ow..." She groaned.

"Karmeen!" Chekov got out of the tent and knelt beside her. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "I've fallen on my head before, Pavel. You'd have to do more than that to hurt a Feluma." She looked up and froze as her eyes fell onto Chekov, whom for whatever reason, wasn't wearing a shirt. His chest completely bare, free for her eyes to see.

**He's gorgeous...** She couldn't help but think. Karmen shook her head and sat up, suppressing the urge to slap herself. **Are you kidding me?! He's a colleague, you shouldn't be thinking that!**

"You gave us quite the scare, Karma!" Sulu said, exiting the tent. "You appeared almost... Dead, I guess is the only word."

She nodded and stood up, brushing herself off. "Yes, there are some moments where a Feluma can be in such a deep sleep that they do pertain the qualities of being dead; short and very few breaths, limbs motionless, it's almost impossible to wake a Feluma up when they're in that state."

"Unless zey fall on zeir head?"

She chuckled. "Yes, I suppose."


	4. Relationship Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karmen has been studying up on human interactions and relationships and she comes across something that is most intriguing to her.

It only made sense to ask the CMO of the ship, seeing as he understood the physical and mental aspects of humans more than she did. Chances were he would be able to explain it as easily as he could quote scientific words for a cramp.

Karmen took a deep breath and approached Bones. "Doctor McCoy?"

Bones turned from his spot at his desk. "Karma. Is there something you need?"

She hesitated, shuffling her feet. "There is something I need to ask you about, seeing that you're a doctor and everything."

His full attention was now on her. "Yes, of course."

"Well, I was doing some studies on human interactions and relationships and I came across something rather interesting."

Bones already could tell where this was going. He had heard this more than enough times in his career as a doctor. "Karma, if you're asking about sex-"

"I understand the human mating rituals, Doctor. It's not that uncommon on my world."

Bones breathed out, almost relieved he didn't have to explain it to the young Engineer.

Karmen continued. "The one thing I wish to ask you about is this 'kissing' that is involved. I understand what it is but I don't understand as to why it's so common between humans in a romantic relationship; kissing can be a sign of affection, of course, but what is the significance?"

Never mind, Bones would rather explain the dynamics of sex over kissing. "Don't you have kissing on your world?" He asked, desperately wishing for a way out of this situation.

She shook her head. "No, never. The only ways we show affection to one another are either intertwining wings or exchanging a body feather. Those are signs of trust and affection on my world."

Nope, definitely not getting out of this one. "Karma, kissing can really have a bunch of different meanings and there could be plenty of different reasons for it. What it means to someone all depends on the person..."

Karmen just blankly stared at him and he sighed. "To be honest, I'm not the one you should be coming to about this; I'm a doctor, not a psychologist."

She nodded. "Ah, alright then. Sorry for disturbing you, Doctor McCoy."

"It's alright."

He turned back to his work and Karmen took her leave, exiting the sick bay still as confused as ever. However, she didn't lose hope as there was one other person she could ask, someone who always seems to have the logical answers.

Using her wings she glided down the hall, dodging the occasional crew member who was wandering the halls. She needed to get this figured out.

/ / /

Karmen sat with her hands in her lap. "Doctor McCoy was unable to answer me so I just thought that, since you're one of the smartest crew members I know, you might have the answer I'm seeking."

Spock's hand froze in place and he stared at Karmen with an almost blank expression, making her shift in her chair. Spock raised an eyebrow and placed down the piece on the 3D Chess board. "Well, I cannot entirely understand why Doctor McCoy was not able to answer your question."

"Neither can I, if I can be completely honest."

"Well, Vulcans are almost no different. We do kiss, but it is a subtle gesture with our hands and not our lips."

She cocked her head to the side. "'Subtle gesture'?"

"It involves the index and middle finger, Miss Leison."

"Ah."

"However, if it helps at all, kissing among humans is a form of romantic significance; it could mean that they are bonded or that they are married. Sometimes emotions could also change the significance of a kiss."

She nodded. "And emotions are not what you specialize in, I understand." Karmen stood from her seat and nodded. "Thanks, Spock."

He nodded in return and turned his attention back to his game, moving a Rook.

Despite the advice the Vulcan had given her, she still felt as if it wasn't enough to answer her question. What did a kiss truly mean between two humans?

Karmen shook her head in frustration and headed in the direction of the Cafeteria. She was hungry and food also helped her to think.

/ / /

Janice couldn't help but noticed the almost depressed state of her friend; all she was doing was poking at her food. She would occasionally take a bite from it, but they were measly bites. She sighed and stood from her seat, swearing to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering Karmen.

She took a seat across from Karmen, leaning in on the table. "You looked lonely, so I just thought I would come and sit with you."

Karmen forced a small smile. "Thank you, but I'm alright."

Janice wasn't buying it. "You've barely even touched your food and that says something, considering that you usually devour chocolate cake."

Karmen sighed, setting down her fork and shoving the cake aside. "Janice, what is the meaning of a kiss?"

She was taken aback by the sudden question. "Well, ah-"

"I have asked the two people who should've been able to answer me, but they were either unable to answer me or gave one that didn't even properly answer my question." She heaved a heavy sigh, almost sounding like a groan, and rested her head on the table. "Why do humans and their interactions have to be so complicated?"

Janice resisted the urge to laugh so she settled for a smile. She then placed a reassuring hand on Karmen's. "Well, sweetie, you really can't understand the significance of something unless you experience it yourself."

Karmen sighed. That answer obviously didn't help her.

Janice was suddenly struck with an idea. "Karma, you told me a while back that you liked Pavel, right?"

She nodded. "Mhm."

Janice also knew that Pavel liked her; a perfect set up! Both Karmen and Pavel had been dancing around each other for the past year, it was about time that they admitted their feelings. "Well, why don't you ask him? He's the best candidate for answering a question like that for you!"

Karmen slowly looked up. "You truly think so?"

Janice patted her hand. "Sweetie, I know so."

With newly found excitement, Karmen stood from her seat. "You're right, Janice! I'll go and ask him right away!" With great speed, she dashed out of the Cafeteria, leaving Janice at the table.

She gave herself a mental pat on the back. Her work was done.

/ / /

Karmen knocked on his door. "Pavel?"

"Come een!"

She opened the door and entered. Looking around she saw that Pavel was resting on a chair with a book in his hands. Upon seeing her he set it down on the coffee table. "Oh, Karmeen! Ees there something you need?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. I have a question I need to ask you."

He stood and approached her, giving her his full attention. "Of course, Karmeen."

At first she hesitated, unsure if this was the best course of action. For whatever reason, asking Pavel felt almost awkward. She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "I have already asked Doctor McCoy and Mister Spock and neither one of them were able to give me an answer, so I thought you might be able to." She shuffled her feet. "Pavel; what is the significance of a kiss?"

Pavel was completely thrown off by her question. "Vell, I, uh... Karmeen..." He stuttered, unsure as to how to answer her.

Quite suddenly, Karmen blurted out, "I'm sorry, I thought this was a good idea. Janice even thought it was and she's my friend, she's always given me the best advice. She thought that because I liked you that you would be able to answer my question and I thought that it was perfect, but now-"

Any other words spoken by her flew completely over Pavel's head, as it was reeling from what she had said. She liked him. She actually liked him! He could hardly believe it! Sulu had told him that she did, but he didn't believe him!

Pavel grasped Karmen's hands. "Karmeen, eet ees alright!"

She stopped her rambling and looked down at their hands. **Isn't this a form of affection?** She wondered.

"Karmeen, I like you, too."

Her head shot up at this statement. "You... Like me?"

"Yes, I do."

They just stood like that for what felt like an eternity, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Pavel was the first to break the silence. "Karmeen... I think ze best vay to answer your question is by showing you."

"Showing me?"

"If eet ees alright vith you?"

She nodded. "Of course, Pavel."

He licked his suddenly dry lips. "Close your eyes, take a breath..."

She did as he said, closing her eyes and taking a short breath. She felt Pavel's lips gently come into contact with her own.

She took another sharp breath, somewhat surprised at the rate in which her heartbeats spiked up. His lips were soft, she thought, gripping his hands more tightly. **By the gods, this feels amazing...**

Pavel pulled away, taking a breath of his own. Karmen opened her eyes, licking her lips. "Do you understand now, Karmeen?"

"I think so..." She smiled, moving closer to him. "But... Perhaps if we kiss once more, I can be sure."

Pavel placed a gentle hand on her hip, pulling her closer to his body. "Of course."

Karmen tilted her head and pressed her lips into his, enjoying the small skip in her hearts as she did. She couldn't quite understand why, but she felt as if there was a stronger bond within their friendship. And she was glad.


	5. Grounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karmen gets into a bar fight (with a few other members of the Enterprise) and it leaves her pretty much grounded.

"So, remind me Captain, we received a Priority One distress call from Commissioner Baris _just_ so we could protect a bunch of wheat?"

Jim sighed, the headache returning to his head just at the mention of the current situation at hand. "You are correct, Karma." He then quickly added, "But that does not mean you have to be the one to help guard the wheat. You're not getting out of going on Shore Leave."

Karmen's wings drooped slightly and she suppressed a sigh. She had attempted to talk her way out of going on shore leave after the Captain had first mentioned it to her. Regardless of her excuses, he would have none of it and he almost had to pull the 'Captain's Orders' card on her, again. "Yes, sir."

He smiled. "Now, go on; Scotty and Chekov are waiting for you."

She sighed and nodded. Turning around she leaned down and lifted her wings, pounding them downwards and sending her gliding down the corridor. Despite the size of her wings, Karmen was able to get around the _Enterprise_ quite well whilst avoiding disruptions or running into people. Briefly, Jim reflected on when there was a Red Alert and how Karmen had deftly dashed around Engineering without her wings even touching anyone or anything. He had been impressed when Scotty had come to him and stated that she was one of the best Engineers that he could ever have in his department.

He didn't voice it, but he was just as glad as Scotty for having her recruited on the _Enterprise_.

/ / /

"When are ye going t' get off that milk diet, lad?"

Chekov swallowed, looking almost incredulous. "This ees Wodka!"

Scotty chuckled. "Where I come from, that's soda pop." He raised his own alcoholic beverage with a smirk on his face. "Now this is a drink fer a man!"

Chekov snorted. "Scotch?"

"Aye." Scotty said, taking a good swallow of his Scotch.

Karmen scoffed at the both of them, causing both men to look at her. "Vhat ees so funny, Karmeen?"

"You both say your drinks are better than the other, when in reality," she lifted her own glass which contained a red and almost glowing drink, "this is the best beverage."

"What kind o' drink is that, lass?"

She swallowed a good portion of her drink, savoring the freezing sting as it slid down her throat and the burning sensation as it hit her stomach. "It's called "The Frozen Flame"; it's a common alcohol on my planet."

"Ze bartender had one of those?"

She nodded. "Yes, upon asking he said that he just received a new shipment of them straight from Feluma about a week ago. My people may not entirely trust the Federation or humans but they won't break treaty and contract agreements over their mistrust."

"Why call it "The Frozen Flame", now?" Scotty asked.

She set down her glass and leaned in almost conspiratorially. "Allow me to tell you some of the history of my people, gentlemen."

They both leaned in with her, eager to hear her story. Seeing that she had their attention, she started her story. "It all started millions of years ago, there were two serpents, both the size of a dragon. One was blue in color, its wings and horns were made out of pure ice which was almost completely transparent and its eyes were almost white in colour. The other was pure red, its wings were said to be made from the very fires of hell, its horns made from the bones of the dead and forgotten and its eyes were the color of blood. Before the time of Darkness, they were one piece, one body, one soul. They were unbreakable, inseperable. All was peaceful. It wasn't until war broke out on Feluma that the peace had been disturbed.

Karmen sighed. "To make a tale a story, the War had forced the Serpents to split, divided by rage and anger. The Ice Serpent covered one half of the world in ice, snow and mountains, making natural food scarce and wildlife almost non-existent. The Fire Serpent covered the other half in nearly barren lands, where almost no water existed and no plant life was ever seen. Of course, millions of years later us Feluma were able to properly maintain the parts we were born and raised it, making decent water and food sources."

"Vhat does zat have to do with ze drink?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, the reason the drink is called "The Frozen Flame" is because as it goes down, it is so cold that it can almost freeze your insides. The instant it hits your stomach, it feels like it is trying to burn you from the inside!"

The two men looked at each other, then back to Karmen. "Well, now we kno' who won this contest, then, aye?"

" _Da_ , Karmeen definitely von zat."

Quite suddenly, all three heard screeching from the bar and then a deep voice stating, "The Earthers like those fuzzy things, don't they?"

Karmen's ears perked up at this. Just from the tone in which the Klingon was using she could tell he was trying to start something.

"Well frankly, I never liked Earthers."

Yup, definitely trying to start something.

"They remind me of Regulan Bloodworms."

Chekov sneered at the Klingon's insult, speaking an insult of his own. "That Cossack..."

Scotty tried his best to diffuse the younger man's anger. "Easy, lad. You 'ought to be more forgivin'."

The Klingon, seeing Chekov's small outburst, continued with his string of insults. "No. I just remembered. There is one Earthman who doesn't remind me of a Regulan blood worm; that's Kirk. A Regulan blood worm is soft and shapeless, but Kirk isn't soft. Kirk may be a swaggering, overbearing, tin-plated dictator with delusions of godhood, but he's not soft."

Chekov suddenly stood up and Karmen stood with him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy, lad," Scotty chided, "everyone is entitled to an opinion." Chekov sat back down along with Karmen.

"That's right, and if I think that Kirk is a Denebian slime devil, well that's my opinion too."

Karmen was beginning to understand Chekov's anger. That Klingon was trying his damnedest to upset the lot of them, to make them start a fight and he was doing a fairly good job at it, so far. His anger must have spiked again as he stood up, but far more threateningly, and stared down the Klingon.

"Don't do it, mister, an' that's an order!"

"But you heard vhat he called ze Keptin." Chekov said through clenched teeth. Scotty chided the boy further.

"Ferget it; it's no' worth fighting fer. We're big enough te' take a few insults." Karmen just noticed Scotty switching out Chekov's drink and she grinned. "Now drink yer drink."

Chekov sat back down and took a swig of the alcohol and suddenly paused. Karmen could practically hear him saying, _'This ees not my Wodka!'_ , and she chuckled.

"Of course, I'd say that Captain Kirk deserves his ship. We like the Enterprise. We, we really do. That sagging old rust bucket is designed like a garbage scow, half the quadrant knows it! That's why they're learning to speak Klingonese." The Klingon laughed darkly and Chekov, once again, took offence to the statement. "Meester Scott!"

Karmen looked and saw that Scotty seemed to also have taken offence to what he had said. "Laddie..." He started, his voice no longer pertaining the light overtone it usually did. "Don't ye' think... Ye should rephrase that?"

"You're right," he set his drink down on the table, leaning down close to Karmen in the process. "I should." She couldn't help but react to the proximity of the Klingon and her shoulder-feathers stiffened, clicking together to make a faint rattling noise. She shuddered and rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to calm herself down.

The Klingon had heard the faint rattling but chose to ignore it. "I didn't mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should be hauled away _as_ garbage!" The Klingon then laughed.

Scotty betrayed no emotion as he stood and turned to face the Klingon. Without so much as a warning, Scotty sent a strong right hook to the Klingon and sent him flying back. His other companions stood, causing Chekov and herself to as well. **Why do humans always think violence is the answer?** She wondered.

Scotty delivered a left hook to another Klingon and a full on fight begun. Karmen sighed and spread out her wings and raised her fists. "About time I blew off some steam!" And with that she lunged herself at a Klingon, using her wings to propel herself forward. They crashed into a table, just barely missing a bystander. Grabbing the front of his uniform, she brought his face close to her own. "You messed with the wrong crew!" She gave him a swift head butt and knocked him out cold. She tossed him off to the side and straightened out her uniform. **I feel accomplished!**

That feeling was ruined as another Klingon jumped from behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck, choking her. Karmen smiled. She slid her wings underneath the Klingon and pushed with all of her might, sending him flying across the room. She turned around looking for another possible opponent and saw that Scotty was fighting with that Klingon that had previously insulted the _Enterprise_ and its Captain.

The Klingon delivered a strong sucker punch to Scotty and then she lunged herself at him, taking him down to the ground. She delivered a swift knee to his groin and a punch to his jaw. **Take that!**

Her victory was short lived as she was pulled off of him by, what she deducted, another Klingon. Now, that isn't what upset her. No, if she was just merely pulle off by her arms or something, she would've been fine. But no, instead, she was pulled off of this Klingon by her _wings_.

As strong as her wings were, they were always supposed to be treated with the utmost care. Any Feluma's wings were to be treated with care. Pulling on the wings of a Feluma could run the risk of having them pulled straight and clean out of their back. This was something she absolutely could not allow!

With a raged cry she spun and punched the Klingon directly in his jaw. Her fist came into contact with him with a satisfying crunch.

It was just then that several Starfleet members came into the bar and started to restrain any people who happened to be fighting. Karmen cringed. **The Captain is not going to be happy with us...**

/ / /

"I want to know who started it." Jim demanded, pacing between the ten crew members. "I'm waiting."

Karmen watched as he stopped in front of a blonde man in a yellow shirt. "Freeman? Who started the fight?"

"I don't know, sir."

Jim raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "Alright." He turned his attention to Karmen. "Miss Leison? Did you happen to see who started the fight? I heard you were rather engaged at one point."

She knew what he was hinting at. The Starfleet security team had come in at a rather bad time, seeing how enraged she was at having her wings being pulled. So it was natural to think she was the one who started it. "Yes, sir, but I was enraged because of a more physical and _personal_ matter, but I was not the one who started the fight."

"Do you know who did, though?"

**Yes.** "No, sir."

"Very well." He turned his attention to the young man beside her. "Chekov..."

Chekov stood a little taller as he was addressed by his Captain. "I know you... You started the fight, didn't you?"

"No, sir, I didn't."

"Well who did?"

Chekov shook his head, unable to help the nervous smile that formed on his lips. "I don't know, sir."

Jim suppressed a sigh. "'I don't know, sir'." He repeated. Jim then continued his pacing down the line of Starfleet crew members. "I want to know who threw the first punch."

When nobody responded, he then said, "Alright, you're all confined to quarters until I find out who started it. Dismissed!"

They all started moving out of the room, remaining in the single file line until they were actually out of the room. Karmen tried to quicken her pace.

"Not you, Karma. Same for you, Scotty."

Karmen cringed. **I'm** so **going to be fired for this...** She thought.

"Scotty, you were supposed to prevent trouble, Mister Scott."

Scotty nodded. "Aye, Captain."

"Who threw the first punch, Scotty?"

He hesitated, almost afraid of what his Captain would think if he knew it was him who threw the punch. "Um..."

Jim understood almost immediately. "Scotty?"

"I did, Captain."

" _You_ did, Mister Scott? What caused it?"

Karmen watched as Scotty did his best to explain the situation without making it seem too ridiculous. Jim, despite his previous attitude towards him, understood that Scotty took pride in the _Enterprise_ , seeing as he treated the ship with the utmost care. Jim then confined him to his quarters, to which Scotty grinned.

"That'll give me time t' work on my technical journals!"

Scotty exited the room with a small spring in his step, whilst Karmen felt her hearts become gripped with fear. She cleared her throat. "You wish to speak to me, sir?"

"Why yes, Karma."

She cleared her throat again, obviously nervous. "What about?"

"Miss Leison, you are normally a calm and collected woman. Even when most are upset or panicked, you're the voice of reason." He stood directly in front of her, not breaking eye contact with her. "Yet, when the security team came in, you appeared to be in a fit of rage. I even heard that the Klingon you punched had suffered a broken jaw. Now that doesn't sound like you."

"I know, sir."

"I kept you here because I want to hear it from you; why were you so angry, Miss Leison?"

She shuffled her feet, looking down at the ground almost in shame. "I wasn't like that the whole time, sir."

"Indeed?"

"No, I only punched that Klingon so hard because he... He pulled on my wings, sir."

"'Pulled on your wings'?"

"Yes, sir."

Jim almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. Before he judged her too harshly, however, he brought into account that it may have something to do with her culture. "I assume that might have some sort of significance to you?"

"Sir, a Feluma's wings are everything! They may not look like it, but a Feluma's wings can be extremely delicate! Pulling on them is just as dangerous as pulling the wings off of a fly. It could severely damage or kill a Feluma if their wings are pulled straight from their backs. If our wings were pulled out, the bones go with it! If they're just pulled, our wings could be severely damaged to the point where we couldn't fly, our spines could suffer damage, there have even been cases where a Feluma has suffered extreme heart attacks! Sir-"

Jim held up a hand, halting her rapid explanation. "Karma, I understand what you're saying, but you also said that it was personal. Why was it so personal?"

"Sir, please understand, that if a Feluma were to lose their wings... It's being stripped of whatever honor you have left. You could be outcast by your own people, disowned by your own family. It's a disgrace to be a Feluma without wings."

Jim sighed, not out of annoyance but out of sympathy. "I understand, Karmen." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, a comforting gesture. "You should go to Sick Bay just to make sure that no damage was done to your wings."

Karmen nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

She left the room and made a quick dash for the Sick Bay. She didn't show it, but she was in a lot of pain from having her wings pulled. She needed to know right away if any permanent damage was done..

/ / /

"Doctor McCoy?"

Bones looked away from his current patient to see Karmen standing in the doorway. "Karma, were you in that damn bar fight, too?"

"I'm afraid so."

Bones sighed. "Take a seat, I'll be with you in a moment."

She sat on one of the medical beds, carefully moving her wings so she could sit properly.

"Karmeen?"

She looked and saw that Chekov was also in Sick Bay. "Pavel! What are you here, for?" She pointed to the bruise on his cheek. "Aside from the obvious."

"I sprained my ankle after a Kleengon threw me ower a table."

She chuckled. "I wouldn't have thought you could sprain an ankle doing that. Breaking an arm seems more likely."

"I agree."

Bones approached Karmen. "What is it you're here for, then?"

"A Klingon had pulled on my wings, I'm here to make sure they didn't suffer any irreparable damage."

Bones went around the medical bed so he was facing her back. "You're in luck because I received the medical information about you Feluma around a month ago. It's about time, too!"

Karmen chuckled, then hissed as Bones gently moved the base of her wings around. "There's a little bit of blood, so that only means he caused some tissue damage. Nothing that can't be fixed, of course."

"Of course..."

"And that also means that your wings will have to stay as still as possible if they're going to heal properly. So, you're on medical leave for a week."

Karmen sputtered. "But I have things I need to work on in Engineering!"

"Let Scotty take care of it."

Karmen sighed, hating the feeling of being "grounded", as Jim had once put it. Chekov tried his best to cheer her up. "Vell, I can come and wisit you, Karmeen!"

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Pavel."


End file.
